Wagon steering and driving mechanism



No. 607,308. Patented IuIy I2, I898. L. WATKINS. WAGON STEERING AND DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug. 16, 1897.)

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(No Model.)

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No. 607,308. Patented July [2, I898. L. WATKINS.

WAGON STEERING AND DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Aug, 16, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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N0. 607,308. Patented July 12, I898. L. WATKINS.

WAGON STEERING AND DRIVING MECHANISM.

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WITNESSES "PAT NT FFicE.

LEIGH \VATKINS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

WAGON STEERING'A'ND DRIVING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,308, dated July 12, 1898. Applicationfiled August 16,1897. Serial No. 648,436. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, LEIGH WATx1Ns,of Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Wagon Steering and Driving Mechanism, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to certain improvements in wagons which enable the axles of one or more wagons to be connected in such a way that the wheels may be used as tractionwheels and also to certain improvements by which the steering of the wagons may be accomplished in such a manner that the wheels of successive wagons connected together will all follow the same track.

The invention consists in novel features which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of two wagons coupled together. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, showing the bed in section and the mechanism beneath the bed in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the mechanism mounted upon one of the axles. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the axle and the supports for the bed. Fig. 6 is a top plan View of a portion of the mechanism connected to one of the axles. Figs.

7 and 8 are an elevation and plan of the yokes which are pivoted above one of the axles and carry the bevel driving-gears. Figs. 9 and 10 are an elevation and plan of the brackets carrying the cams, and Figs. 11 and 12 are an elevation and plan of a bar supporting the lower end of the Vertical shaft mounted over the axle.

The object of my invention is to connect the axles of a train of wagons so that all may be used for driving purposes and also to so construct and connect the axles of the various wagons that the wheels of all will follow the same track in rounding a curve.

With this object in view the axles A are pivoted at their center, so that they may swing horizontally, and the wheels A are secured upon the axles by clutches, so that i normally they turn with the axle, but when.

desired may be released, so as to turn upon the axle. Fixed to each of the axles of the Wagon are' 'one or more segment-gears F (Shown in plan in Figs. 3 and 6.) These segment-gears extend horizontally from the axle. The leading wagon of a train and also the last wagon of a train have the axles which are at the ends of the trainthat is, the forward axle of the leading wagon and the rear axle of the last wagon-provided with only one of these segment-gears. The other axles in the train are provided with two of these segmentgears, one upon each side of the axle. The

segment-gears on the outer end axles extend inwardly-that is, toward the inner axle.

Bevel-gears F are mounted upon the ends of a hollow shaft F, so that they will turn therewith, but will have a limited longitudinal movement upon said shaft. These bevelgears F mesh with the segment-gears F attached to the axles, one gear meshing with the segment attached to the forward axle and the other gear meshing with the segment attached to the rear axle. The segments are provided with'a rib f and the gears F with a corresponding peripheral groove f, the groove in the gear receiving the rib upon the segment. This prevents relative movement lengthwise of the wagon between the gear and the segment. The gear being mounted upon its shaft so as to have a slight longitudinal move 'ment thereon is thus enabled to adjust itself to the different distances due to the wagon going over ridges and hollows.

Two arms or brackets G and G are sus pended from the shaft F upon each side of the gear-wheel F. (See Fig. 4.) The lower ends of these brackets extend below the segmentgear F and have journaled therein a short shaft carrying a pulley or roller G which bears against the under side of the segment F and holds the same and the gear F in close contact, so that the rib f on the gear cannot be disengaged from the groove f in the wheel. The relative position of the groove and rib shown and described may be reversed, if desired-that is, the rib may be placed upon the gear as a flange and the segment be provided with a groove to receive the flange.

It will be seen that by this construction if the forward axle be swung in one direction the rear axle will be correspondingly swung in the opposite direction. The same connection is also used between the adjacent axles of two connecting wagons, which results in the entire train being controlled from any one point in the line of wagons.

The manner of controlling the steering is by means of a segment-gear H, mounted upon the forward end of the first wagon, and is controlled by a pinion H, meshing therewith and mounted upon a shaft H extending upwardly through the bed of the wagon and provided with any suitable means for turning the same-as, for instance, a hand-wheel. The shaft 1-1 of the pinion H is mounted upon a bracket 1-1 movable to or from the segmentgear, so that the pinion may be disengaged from the segment. The segment H is connected to the bolster or to the axle, so that when'one is moved the other is correspondingly moved. In this manner the position of the forward axle is controlled by hand, and the position of the other axles in the train is controlled by means of the connections described.

Mounted within the hollow shaft F is a second shaft E. At each end of the shafts E and F are preferably provided, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, star or "universal couplings consisting of the arms 6 and e, connected, respectively, to the shafts d and F and to a ring 6 by pivots which are at right angles to each other. of a short shaft (1, journaled in a yoke D, which at one end has an eye D surrounding the vertical shaft 12, mounted centrally over the axle A The shaft d carries a bevel gearwheel D, which meshes with the upper side of the bevel-gear B, fixed upon the lower end of the shaft 1), and which gear is double, having a set of teeth upon both the upper and lower sides. The lower set of teeth engage with a bevel-gear B which is fixed to the axle A It will thus be seen that revolution of the shaft E will result in turning the bevelgears B and B and thus rotating the axle, and the wheels A being fixed to the axle this will propel the wagon. The shaft 7) is journaled in a sleeve 1), supported in the bolster of the wagon. The lower portion of this sleeve is supported in a bar I (shown in detail in Figs. 11 and 12) and secured at its ends to and turning with the bolster. Two of the yokes D are pivoted upon the sleeve 1), surrounding the shaft bthat is, there is one of these yokes upon each side of the axle-and there is also a bevel-gear D upon each side of the axle and connections therefrom to the shaft E. By this means connections may be made between the axles of each wagon and between adjacent axles of successive wagons.

The yokes D have a pin (Z upon their upper portion, to which are attached arms 0 connecting the same with the mechanism for automatically releasing one of the wheels. The hubs of the wagon-wheels are provided with clutch-jaws (0 upon their inner ends, and the The arms e are connected to the ends axle is also provided with a clutch having jaws a adapted to engage the jaws'upon the hub and lock the clutch and hub together, so that the wheel will turn with the axle. These clutches are controlled by levers a mounted upon the forward bolster of the wagon and having links a pivoted to the upper ends. The links a are divided, forming a yoke, one arm of which extends on each side of the wagon-bolster. Each of these arms is provided with rollers a engaged by cams O, to force the links a outward. The cam C is pivoted in a bracket 0 mounted upon the 'bolster and is provided with an arm 0, to

which a link 0 is connected, fixed at its other end upon the pin d of the yoke D.

When the wagon-axles are swung in order to turn the wagon, the shaft E, extending between the two axles, will assume a position corresponding more or less with that shown in Fig. 6. As it swings to one side it takes the yoke D with it, and in consequence of this the arm 0 is swung so as to engage the cam C with the roller a This results in pushing out the yoke formed by the links 0. This yoke, being connected with the lever a in the manner described, will disengage the clutch a from the hub, thus freeing the wheel upon that side. The Wheel freed by this operation is the one upon theinside of the curve. When the axles are straightened out and the wagon is running approximately straight ahead, the shaft Ewill be swung back to its normal position, which will permit the yoke formed by the links a to return to its normal position. This is accomplished by means of the spring a, which is connected to the lever (i so as to hold the elutchnormally in engagement with the hub of the wheel. The entire operation of releasing and engaging the wheels is automatic and requires no at tention.

The bevel gear-wheels F and the shaft F are mounted in a frame F which surrounds the wheel and upon one side has lugs or ears f which embrace the portion D upon the yoke D and are pivoted thereto. This furnishes a firm support for the gear F and the shaft F and also permits the up-and-down swinging motion which is natural in passing over ridges or depressions in the road. The poweris communicated to the shaft E through a vertical shaft B, which is an upward extension of that one of the shafts b which is over the front axle of the leading wagon. This extends upward through the floor of the forward wagon and has the bevel-gear B at the forward end of the wagon fixed thereto. The power used for thus operating the shaft B may be any suitable power, such as steam, a gas-engine, an electric motor, 850. Such motive power, however, has not been shown in the drawings, as any form of motor may be adopted and the motor does not constitute any part of my invention.

The action of the steering mechanism is as follows: \Vhen the shaft H is turned, it acts upon the segment-gear H to turnthe front wagon-axle, we will say, to the right. This, by means of the segment-gears F and gears F, causes a slight left-handed rotation of the shaft F, which if it occurred while the wagon was stationary would turn the rear axle so that it would carry that end of the wagon to the left. This tendency, however, is counteracted by the right-handed lateral divergence of the front wheels, so that the rear gear F simply rolls upon its segment-gear F until the rear axle has reached the point where the front wheels began to turn. Were the front wheels and axles to be lifted and transferred bodily to the right while the axle A was maintained in a parallel position,the segmentgear F attached thereto would have a side motion which would turn the gears F, and thus turn the rear axle toward the right. It will thus be seen that there are two turning forces acting upon each axle after the first, one due to the change in angular position of the axle preceding and the other due to the lateral transference of the same axle, and that these forces are opposing and neutralize each other. axle ceases either partially or wholly, while the lateral transference continues by reason of the acquired angular position of the axle, then one of the forces ceases its action and the other continues and turns the following axle. With wagons properly designed this will occur when the following axle has reached the position where the leading axle began turning. This action follows successively with each pair of wheels, as well with pairs of wheels beneath different wagons as with those under the same wagon.

The form of steering mechanism show-n results in causing the wheels of all the wagons in a train to follow in the same track when turning a corner, which will make it possible to operate the wagons in long trains and in many places where their use would otherwise be impossible. The automatic releasing of the inside wheel in rounding curves also removes a large amount of friction.

These wagons will be used for all kinds of hauling where large quantities of material are to be hauled-as, forinstance, ores in mining regions, and where goods have to be transported over long distances on wagon-roads.

Having thus described my invention, 1.

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swinghorizontally, segment-gears attached to the axles, and extending horizontally toward each other, and a horizontal shaft having a gear slidingly keyed upon each end and meshing with the segment-gears, substantially as described.

2. A wagongearing having axles mounted to swinghorizontally, segment gears attached to the axles and extending horizontally toward each other, a horizontal shaft having a gear slidin glykeyed uponeach end and mesh As soon as the turning of the ing with the segment-gears, and means for holding the segment-gears and sliding gears in contact, substantially as described.

3. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swing horizontally, segment-gears attached to the axles and extending horizontally toward each other, and a horizontal shaft having a gear slidably mounted on each end thereof and meshing with the segment-gears, said sliding gears and segment-gears having one a rib and the other a groove, which engage to lock the two and prevent relative movement longitudinally of the shaft, substantially as described.

4. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swing horizontally, segment-gears attached to the axles and extending horizontally toward each other, a horizontal shaft havinga gear slidably keyed upon each end and mesh ing with the segment-gears, a bracket supported from the shaft, and a roller carried by the bracket and engaging the opposite side of the segment and maintaining contact between the segment and slidable gears, substantially as described.

5. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swing horizontally, segment-gears attached to the axles and extending horizontally toward each other, a horizontal shaft having a gear slidably mounted on each end thereof and meshing with the segment-gears, said sliding gears and segments having one a rib and the other a groove which engage to lock the two and prevent relative movement longitudinally of the shaft, a bracket supported from the shaft, and a roller carried thereby and engaging the opposite side of the seg ment and maintaining contact between the segment and slidable gears, substantially as described.

6. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swing horizontally, segment-gears attached to the axles and extending horizontallytoward each other, a horizontal shaft having a gear slidably keyed upon each end and meshing with the segment-gears, and also having similar segment-gear, gear-wheel and shaft upon the outer side of the axle by which two similar wagons may be connected and simultaneously controlled, substantially as described.

7. A wagon-gearing having axles mounted to swing horizontally,segment-gears attached to the axles, and extending horizontally toeach end of said shafts and meshing with the V segment-gears, and handcontrolled means for turning one of said axles, substantially as described.

9. Awagon-driving mechanism,comprising wheels locked to the axles, each axle having a bevel-gear secured thereto and alternately upon opposite sides of the center of the axles, a bevel-gear mounted upon a vertical shaft and meshing with the axle-gear, said gear being double and having a toothed section upon each side, a shaft extending lengthwise of the wagon between the axles and having gears on each end meshing with the gear upon the vertical shaft, and means for applying power to one of said axles, substantially as described.

10. A wagon-driving mechanism, comprising wheels locked to the axles, each axle having a bevel-gear secured thereto and alternately upon opposite sides of the center of the axles, a bevel-gear mounted upon a vertical shaft and meshing with the axle-gear, said gear being double and having a toothed section upon each side, a yoke pivoted concentric to said vertical shaft, a horizontal shaft journaled in said yoke and having a gear-wheel meshing with the gear on the vertical shaft,horizontal shafts extendinglengthwise of the wagons, and universal couplings connecting said horizontal shafts, substantially as described.

11. A wagon having axles mounted to swing horizontally, clutches upon the axles adapted to normally look each wheel to the axle, a reach connecting front and rear axles, and connections from the reach to the clutches, whereby one wheel is automatically disconnected from the axle when turning a curve, and connected thereto when the wagon is straightened out, substantially as described.

12. A wagon having axles mounted to swing horizontally, clutched upon the axles adapted to normally look each wheel to the ax1e,mea11s connecting the axles to swing them together, pivoted levers controlling the clutches, cams adapted to engage said levers to disengage the clutches, and links connecting said cams with the steering mechanism to automatically disengage .the inner wheels when turning a curve, substantially as described.

LEIGH WATKINS.

Witnesses:

WM. H. ANDREW, N10 LE GRAND. 

